JP2010094507A - Device for dosing powdery or granular substance into capsule or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for accurately and rapidly dividing powdery or granular substance. <P>SOLUTION: The device (10) doses the powdery or granular substance into a capsule or the like. The device (10) is provided with an engine (11) associated with a transducer (12) which controls a chuting means (18). The engine (11) produces movement of the chuting means (18) by electric signals (SNG) which are controlled by an electric control unit (CC). The movement of the chuting means (18) adjusts the spacial position given by the chuting means (18) and provides the base (FND) of the capsule with a precise volume of prescription of the powdery or granular substance. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for accurately and rapidly dispensing powdered or granular substances, in particular for filling capsules in the pharmaceutical field.

  The subject device of the present invention makes it possible to accurately and quickly dispense an amount of powdered or particulate material that can vary substantially from 0.5 mg to 100 mg.

  As is known, there is a growing need for accurately separating small amounts of powdered or granular medicine, thus reducing waste. Furthermore, there is a further need for dividing the medicine and filling the capsule base as quickly as possible without an operator who is automated and in contact with the product.

  The aforementioned need is a so-called “low dosage” in which the amount of additive is reduced due to various and frequent causes, such as the prohibitive high cost of some drugs. Is in the pharmaceutical trend. Also, such necessary drugs are cumbersome because of their fineness, their lack of fluidity, their tendency to solidify, and these must be handled very carefully from a mechanical standpoint. It is a powder.

  In this regard, in the case of powdered inhalable drugs, they share due to their volatility and their texture should not be changed during the separation, for example by mechanical stress. It is quite clear that is difficult.

  One of the most popular methods requires the use of sieves.

  Equipment made according to this method is based on the known daily fact that in a sieve filled with a powdered substance, natural “bridges” tend to correspond to multiple holes, respectively. ing. By applying no stress, the sheave reaches equilibrium, in which all holes are plugged and no material flows through them. By applying stress to the sheave, material will flow through these holes until some of these bridges break and ambient conditions are again in the equilibrium state.

  Both the amount of material that passes through each hole in the sheave before the condition for plugging the new hole appears and the percentage of holes that open according to a given type of stress obey the probability law. Although the dependence of material flow on applied stress can be used to share material, the regularity of this behavior is generally directly proportional to the number of holes.

  The relationship that exists between the properties of the material and the size of the pores is clear even by intuition. In practice, for a plurality of pores that exceed a predetermined size, the material passes completely through them without stress, but for pores below a predetermined size, even if stress is applied, the powdered material is , Do not pass at all.

  Thus, there is an optimal prescription volume size for the plurality of pores in the sheave, an optimal size that depends on the substance and its conditions (eg, particle size analysis, moisture, etc.). Furthermore, the pore size of the sieve is selected so that the material does not pass without the presence of vibration, but this material passes in the desired flow in the presence of stress. The adjustment of the pore size to the material is a serious problem. This is because even moderate changes in the properties of a material can clog pores on the one hand and lead to errors due to excessive flow on the other hand.

  The number of holes should be large in order to obtain a sufficiently regular behavior and a larger flow in the initial state for faster filling of the capsules. On the other hand, a very large number of holes that increase the minimum amount of material released after stress reduces the resolution and thus the accuracy of reaching a predetermined value.

  The most obvious problem with this technique is sheave clotting. This is because the intensity of stress is gradually increased until it is found that the amount of material released when unoccluded is excessive, resulting in frequent loss of time and incorrect prescription volume. Accompanied by the resulting rejection. However, the obvious way to increase the strength of the stress is often not enough to solve this problem. Attempts have therefore been made to adopt other solutions, such as turning the container over, using complex stresses, or inserting a decompacting device.

  Furthermore, the situation is even more important for the clumps present in the article to be separated, especially for some types of substances that tend to form clumps as a result of vibrations.

  Briefly, once a given operating condition (article type, hole diameter and number, sieve fill level) is defined, the applied stress is not occluded and the material continues to fall. Must be higher than a predetermined level. Once this threshold is exceeded, the amount of material that falls typically has a minimum that determines the degree of degradation that can be obtained, and thus the likelihood that the final prescription will fall within a predetermined tolerance. The release of material is highly dependent on the total number of applied stresses and is largely independent of their strength.

  The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a device which is free from the aforementioned drawbacks and at the same time can be manufactured simply and inexpensively.

  The invention is based on the known principle of a shooting means for the gradual release of a powdered substance.

  Due to the mechanical stress applied to the shooting means, these pulverulent substances, including the flow that flows downward until they reach the edge, can now be placed in an assigned container (eg the base of a capsule for pharmaceutical applications). Fall by gravity.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, the inclination of the shooting means is used to obtain a proper flow under the influence of stress, in particular to achieve an instantaneous arrest of the flow in the presence of stress. Adjusted according to the properties.

  Due to the stress, the material loaded in the rear part of the shooting means by the feeding device travels towards the far edge of the shooting means, thus forming a thin layer.

  Furthermore, compared to the particle size of the substance, the far edge of the shooting means has a predetermined width so as to form a “front” that falls down so as to fall fairly widely. Thus, for statistical reasons, the downwardly directed flow depends regularly and repeatedly on the width, frequency and applied stress waveform.

  The effect of this solution is related to simplicity. For example, because there are no obstructions or discontinuities, and because the material layer is very thin, the system is not subject to the problems of slow motion and compression with other typical known systems.

  For a better understanding of the invention, preferred and non-limiting embodiments (including some variations) will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an apparatus for dispensing powdered or granular material within the subject of the present invention, namely a capsule or similar container. FIG. 2 is an enlarged detailed view of the apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing some components included in an electrical control unit that operates and controls the apparatus shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 generally indicates an apparatus for distributing powdered or granular material in capsules or the like. The device 10 is formed in accordance with the present invention.

  The device 10 is an engine 11 (eg, a linear “voice coil”, etc.) associated with a transducer 12 (eg, a differential transformer (LVDT), but may be of electromagnetic induction, potential difference or optical type). Both of these are mounted on the housing (TL) opposite each other.

  As will be described later, the device 10 is controlled by an electrical control unit (CC) shown in detail in FIG.

  By means of a plurality of elements contained within the electrical control unit, the engine 11 and the transducer 12 are connected to each other to form a position servomechanism. This position servomechanism gives a controlled movement to the movable element 13 by means of electrical signals appropriately generated by an electrical control unit (CC) (see below). The movable element 13 is supported by a sliding guide 14 and is provided with an arm 15, to which a cursor 16 is fixed together with a spherical joint joint 17 ("tie") fixing. ) It is fixed.

  A paddle-shaped shooting means 18 is fixed to the spherical joint joint 17.

  Due to the acceleration following the movement given by the movable element 13, the inclination and shape of the shooting means 18, the material loaded in the rear part 19 of the shooting means 18 proceeds and at the same time tends to form a thin and uniform layer. Have.

  The powdered or granular material that reaches the leading edge 20 of the shooting means 18 is guided by a possible pilot element 21 and falls into the base of the capsule (FND) arranged inside the measuring cell 22. This base (FND) is supported by means not shown in FIG. 1 (for example a lower push rod or a suitable deformation of the hole part of the measuring cell 22).

  Preferably, but not necessarily, this cell 22 can be of the capacitive type (for example according to the applicant's patent application EP 1860409) and thus here the electric control unit (CC) by the electrical means associated with the transducer, continuously and with a negligible delay compared to the progress of the dispensing process, the powdery or granular form inside the base (FND) Can be measured.

  The result of the mass measurement is registered by the electrical control unit (CC) by appropriately changing the electrical signal controlling the linear engine 11 and directly determining the flow of the material that slides into the base (FND). It can be regulated automatically. Thus, following the predetermined progression of the flow (on the prescription profile) on time until the desired dispensing volume is reached quickly and accurately.

  That is, in practice, the device 10 can control the flow (substantially more accurately than known sieve systems) according to the amount to be divided, and can therefore follow a predetermined “prescription profile” ( That is, in order to make the prescription amount more accurate, it is first opened quickly and later released slowly).

  The axis of the group (GRP) having the linear engine 11, the transducer 12, and the movable element 13 is tilted with respect to the vertical direction, if necessary, to stress even the horizontal component against the article. Can do.

  In practice, the fixing of this group (GRP) to the housing (TL) is substantially effected by a pin (PN) provided on a suitable fastening element (SS). It is clear that if the group (GRP) is rotated, the shooting means 18 must again be properly oriented.

  The pilot element 21 is formed so that all the material entering the measuring cell 22 flows inside the base (FND) (for example not to stop at this edge). If some material should stop at the pilot element 21, for example by adhering to the surface of the pilot element 21, the problem does not appear. This is because it is not measured because it is outside the measuring cell 22.

  Furthermore, the pilot element 21 has a sufficient slope and vibrates together with the shooting means 18. This prevents accumulation of material inside the pilot element 21 which can cause non-uniform dosages due to these delaminations.

  As mentioned above, the substance to be formulated is loaded into the rear part 19 of the shooting means 18 in an amount to fill a very large number of capsule bases (FND), especially in the case of low prescription quantities. The

  It is clear that the system works well if the shooting means 18 are fed continuously. It has a mobile arm and a vibration measuring device that opens the article so as to maintain a predetermined level in the rear part 19 of the shooting means 18 at a substantially constant value that can be varied according to the properties of the substance. Guaranteed by a feeding system (not shown).

  This action does not need to be highly accurate and can be effected by normal measurements, for example by means of a (capacitive, optical or ultrasonic) sensor (not shown) that detects the level of the substance. The shooting means 18 is regularly fed under the control of this sensor. This material is drawn down by the metal net 23 which can be added to the rear part 19 of the shooting means 18 directly or at least one of holding or crushing the originally formed mass. It is.

  If this system is used for a stress axis applied vertically (or slightly tilted), the possibility given by this system is that the average current of the engine 11 is the developed force. It is proportional and consists in that the force is equal to the weight of the movable element 13, since the movable element 13 is balanced by the servo system. Thus, the change in average current indicates a change in the weight of the substance contained in the shooting means 18 and is used to control the delivery system in order to maintain a certain amount of substance contained in this shooting means 18. Can.

  Obviously, in order to give the method, mistakes, in particular the friction of the guides, must be tolerated and here the slip of the equipment should not give any problem (because this system will vibrate). Because there are fewer problems than with stationary equipment receiving under the first stripping friction). Furthermore, the overall weight should not be too heavy when compared to the measured change.

  The device 1 is completed by a series of elements not shown or described. In particular, there are a capsule opening and closing system, a base (FND) movable system, and a system for placing the base inside the measurement cell 22. In addition, there are conventional protections to avoid the dispersion of articles in the environment and to ensure proper protection of the operator and the required measurement accuracy.

  Shooting means 18 is a lightweight element that is extremely simple, inexpensive and easily replaceable, as shown in more detail in FIG. Thus, to better handle various types of articles, different shapes (e.g., somewhat wider, slightly longer, somewhat wider leading edges, flat or slightly bent profiles) Etc.) can be formed. Further, the shooting means 18 can be equipped with accessories to be described later.

  As already mentioned, the shooting means 18 is fixed to the spherical joint joint 17, where it is now fixed to the cursor 16. A spherical joint joint 17 adjusts the inclination of the shooting means according to the three axes x, y, z.

  The slope of the side of the shooting means 18 (horizontal in FIG. 1 with respect to the x-axis) or a transverse line (vertical in FIG. 1 with respect to the z-axis) is used to obtain a particular result. Can do. The result is, for example, possible delamination of the particulates and removal of them through a useless route made by at least one of properly shaping the shooting means 18 and adding accessories.

  Various accessories that can be added to the shooting means 18 give the system flexibility.

  Thus, appropriate “series” accessories to be more suitable for each substance can be provided, thus giving predictions to the appropriate joints of the shooting means 18 where they can be secured to these accessories.

These accessories are, for example,
Net sheave 23 (FIG. 2) to retain / crush the possible mass
A branch element 24 shaped to carry these masses towards a suitable outlet 25 (FIG. 2),
Selective baffle (not shown) for at least one of stopping and grinding the granulate
Can be.

  By the way, the selection baffle is a vertical guillotine baffle arranged in a lateral direction, not shown in the attached drawings, except for a horizontal slot portion between the sliding surface and the baffle, blocking the substance, Only dust and the smallest particulate matter can pass through, while relatively large particulate matter is stopped.

Regarding the control part, what adds versatility is
a) The characteristics of the pilot signal, in particular the frequency, shape and symmetry, to control the progression, possible separation and the direction of the relatively large particles
b) Filling rules, ie how the flow changes gradually (decreases) until the desired prescription amount is reached
c) The inclination of the stress axis (shown in the vertical direction in the figure) to give the shooting means a stress including both a vertical component and a horizontal component by regulating the inclination.
It is.

  Additionally, it can be stated that if necessary, it is possible to use two different engines acting on the y-axis and the z-axis to adjust the two rules independently.

  The adjustment of the spatial position of the shooting means can be controlled automatically or by driving means (not shown).

  Thanks to electronic measurements (not subject to inertia compared to just the machine), the filling time is considerably reduced.

  The speed of measurement effected by the capacity cell makes it possible to use this system for a fully automatic high-speed machine, with several measuring devices filling several capsules in parallel. Conversely, this cannot be accomplished by using just the machine, and in the case of just a machine, the speed is considerably slower.

  In this case (using an automatic machine), the proposed system replaces the linear engine 11 with this shooting means 18 (e.g. piezo) if the transducer 12 ("open loop" mode of operation of the moving system) is omitted. It can be made quite compact by combining it with a suitable small actuator (of electrical type).

  Compared to conventional filling techniques, the system of the present invention shows a substantial improvement in quality. In fact, the prescription amount is not only based on mass but on volume, and is controlled in real time by measurement instead of, inter alia, the following measurement and “blind” prescription for possible defective products of the base (or capsule) By following the principle of formulation, it does not contain an acceptable amount of substance.

  Referring to FIG. 3, the amount by which the electrical control unit (CC) opens the article by inducing the signal generator (GS) and the conditioning electronics (SE) relative to the transducer (22). It can be seen that it has a central unit (UC) that controls the prescription system by measuring

  A signal (SNG) coming from the generator (GS) is sent to a position servo system (SSS) formed by a plurality of elements contained within a rectangle indicated by a dotted line in FIG. The servo system (SSS) is a power amplifier (SR) that controls the engine 11 according to the difference between a control signal (SNG) and a reaction signal received by the conditioning electronics (EC) from the position transducer 12 and received at the inlet. ) In accordance with a restriction block (BR) (for example, PID). This restriction block (BR) can be analog or digital.

  In this way, the engine 11 accurately gives movement to the movable element 13 according to the electrical control signal (SNG) generated by the generator (GS) at the command of the central unit (UC) within the dynamics of the system. You can.

  Thus, the capacitive mass transducer 22 allows the system to measure the mass of the material inside the base (FND) continuously and with negligible delay compared to the progress of the dispensing process. The result of mass measurement is registered by the central unit (UC), and the process is automatically regulated by appropriately changing the signal (SNG) that directly determines the flow of material falling into the base (FND). Thus, following a predetermined progression of the flow according to the filling level until the desired dosage is reached quickly and accurately.

  The main effect of the subject device of the present invention is illustrated by the fact that this device overcomes a typical problem solution based on a funnel shaped container tied to a sheave.

  As mentioned above, these problems are mainly due to the sheave hole being blocked by being caused by a compressed material or by a clump. In addition, the diameter and number of sheave holes represent a decisive factor according to the material properties.

  In contrast, the subject device of the present invention shows considerable versatility with regard to the type of substance and the amount prescribed. This represents a high tolerance for the proposed system which is found to be able to perform satisfactorily without changing the form, even with significant changes in material properties (eg moisture content). Yes. Furthermore, further effective properties are indicated by the fact that the article forms a device suitable for use with sensitive materials without being “misused”.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Apparatus, 11 ... Engine, 12 ... Transducer, 13 ... Moving element, 14 ... Sliding guide, 15 ... Arm, 16 ... Cursor, 17 ... Joint joint, 18 ... Shooting means, 19 ... Rear part, 20 ... Leading edge , 21 ... Pilot element, 22 ... Cell, 23 ... Net sheave, 24 ... Branch element, 25 ... Exit, BR ... Control block, CC ... Electrical control unit, EC ... Conditioning electronics, FND ... Base, GRP ... Group, GS ... Signal generator, PN ... pin, SE ... conditioning electronics, SNG ... signal, SR ... power amplifier, SS ... fastening element, SSS ... position servo system, TL ... housing, UC ... central unit.

Claims (18)

In a device (10) for dispensing powdered or granular material in capsules etc., this device (10) comprises:
An engine (11) associated with the position control means (12) of the shooting means (18),
This engine (11) gives motion to the shooting means (18) by means of an electrical signal (SNG) controlled by an electrical control unit (CC),
The movement of the shooting means (18) is characterized in that, together with the adjustment of the spatial position provided by the shooting means (18), at least an accurate prescription amount of powdered or granular material in the container (FND) is provided. Device (10).   The shooting means (18) is fixed to a spherical joint joint (17), thus making it possible to adjust the inclination of the shooting means (18) according to three axes (x, y, z). The apparatus (10) of claim 1, wherein: The engine (11);
The position control means (12);
Characterized in that the axis of the group (GRP) with the movable element (13) is tilted so as to be able to give the article a force including different vertical and horizontal components as required. The apparatus (10) of claim 2 wherein:   4. A device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of shooting means (18) having different shapes are provided for better handling of various types of articles.   Device (10) according to claim 4, characterized in that each of said shooting means (18) is provided with a pilot element (21).   Device (10) according to claim 4, characterized in that each of said shooting means (18) is provided with a net (23).   Device (10) according to claim 4, characterized in that each of said shooting means (18) is provided with a branching element (24) configured to carry particulates towards the outlet (25). .   Device (10) according to claim 4, characterized in that each of said shooting means (18) is provided with a selective baffle for at least one of stopping and crushing the granulate.   The apparatus (10) of claim 1, wherein the engine (11) is a linear voice coil or a piezoelectric engine.   The apparatus (10) of claim 1, wherein the position control means (12) is of the LVDT type.   The apparatus (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the container (FND) is arranged inside a measuring cell (22).   The apparatus (10) of claim 1, wherein the measuring cell (22) is of the capacity type.   The shooting means (18) for opening the article in such a way that a predetermined level of the rear part (19) of the shooting means (18) is kept at a certain average value which can be determined according to the properties of the substance. The apparatus (10) of claim 1, wherein a feeding system is provided.   Device (10) according to claim 13, characterized in that the feeding system is regulated by a sensor (capacitive, optical or ultrasonic) that detects the level of the substance of the shooting means (18). Since the average current of the engine (11) is proportional to the deployment force and the shooting means (18) is balanced by the servo system, this force is proportional to the weight of the shooting means (18);
Since the change in the average current indicates a change in the weight of the substance contained in the shooting means (18), in order to keep a certain amount of the substance contained in the shooting means (18) 14. The device (10) of claim 13, wherein the device (10) is used to control the feeding system. The control unit (CC) includes a central unit (UC) for controlling operations of the engine (11), the transducer (12), and the measurement cell (22), respectively,
A signal (SNG) generator (GS);
16. Servo system (SSS) comprising a regulation block (BR) according to a power amplifier (SR) for controlling the engine (11) according to a signal of a position transducer (12). 1 device (10). The control unit (CC) has a central unit (UC) of the measurement cell (22), and
A signal (SNG) generator (GS);
When the transducer (12) (the open loop operation mode of the movable system) is omitted, the linear engine (11) is replaced with a small actuator (for example, of a piezoelectric type). Item 16. The apparatus (10) of any one of Items 1-15.   It is possible to control the volume according to the prescription amount, and thus to follow a predetermined prescription profile that predicts an initial rapid release and final gradual release in order to obtain a more accurate prescription amount A device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims.

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